Sunday, March 21, 2010

What has Ted Simmons done in this card?

All I know about Ted Simmons comes from his time with the ATL Braves at the end of his 21-year career. He was known as a character who inspired the bullpen guys to call themselves the "Bomb Squad." They even sold mock WWII-era bomber hats at the park and the guys put a bombshell nose down by the bullpen mound. It's funny and in more than a few ways apt for the Braves pitching during the dark days of the late-80s.

Now, at first gloss I thought this card was of players during the national anthem. However, the player in front of Simmons seems to be turned towards him, so that would rule out the anthem. In fact, it looks like the arm in between them belongs to a third person (a trainer?) completely out of the picture. Simmons has an absolute sh!t-eating grin on his face so it's a pretty safe bet he's up to something. Is he being confronted by the other player? Simmons is looking down towards the ground, ie absolutely guilty of whatever the other guy is accusing him of. And the mysterious arm? Is he trying to keep them apart in a semi-playful way?

Anyone out there know enough about Simmons to make a more educated guess than I can?